Read Online Soldiers' Wives by Fiona; Field - Free Book Online Page A

the evenings, too,’ said Lee. ‘I’ve got to work on my stamina and endurance.’
    â€˜So you’re determined to have another go at SAS selection?’
    â€˜Got to be done.’
    â€˜What about Jenna? I mean, those guys are never home; they’re always getting sent off to some dodgy place or other. Won’t she mind about being left on her own for half the year?’
    â€˜I’m sure it’s not as bad as that. And she knows it’s my ambition. She’ll be cool about it.’
    Chrissie shrugged. What did she really know either about Jenna or the SAS? ‘If we go along here,’ she said, pointing to a sign indicating a bridle path, ‘we can avoid running along the dual carriageway. It’s a shade longer but quieter.’
    They turned off and began to run along the new route – a disused railway line which had the advantage of being straight and pretty level, but sadly the surface was mostly hardcore and sand, and because of the recent rain it was far from smooth. Push bikes had chopped deep grooves into it, horses’ hooves had gouged out dents, and just sheer wear and tear had left big potholes. And the wet conditions made the whole path slippery and treacherous. They jogged along it for a couple of miles, both trying to ignore how rubbish the surface was, but both knowing there had to be an easier way back to the barracks – one which didn’t involve trip hazards and endless puddles.
    â€˜This is such a bad idea,’ said Chrissie as she jumped another puddle and slipped on landing. Her arms flailed as she just managed to keep her balance.
    â€˜It’s crap,’ agreed Lee. ‘Let’s get off it at the next opportunity.’
    â€˜Well, that can’t be too soon,’ said Chrissie as her foot slithered again.
    They continued to jog along, past the dripping, sloe-laden branches of the blackthorns, and the brambles and the nettles which hemmed them in like barbed wire and made any prospect of leaving the path almost impossible.
    â€˜There’s a bridge up ahead,’ said Chrissie after a few more minutes. ‘If it crosses a road, maybe there’s a chance we can find a path down the embankment to join it.’
    â€˜Good call.’
    They puffed their way up the slight gradient which had raised the old railway up to the bridge. There the pair paused and looked over the parapet.
    â€˜I know where we are,’ said Chrissie. ‘Isn’t that the Swan?’ She pointed to a pub garden just visible behind a tall hedge a couple of hundred yards away.
    Lee nodded. ‘And look, steps,’ he said. To their left, where the brickwork of the bridge stopped, there were some rough and uneven steps made out of old sleepers which led down the almost vertical embankment to the lane below.
    â€˜Come on,’ he said. He tramped through a gap in the dense, soggy undergrowth and began to pick his way down the treads. Gingerly, Chrissie followed. Each step was either a different width or a different height from its predecessor, and that, coupled with the slippery conditions and the steep gradient, made the descent truly treacherous. Ahead of her she saw Lee make it to the safety of the road below and because she was watching him, she missed her step and caught her foot in the wooden riser which stood proud of the tread. With a cry of fear, she felt herself plunge towards the wet tarmac. Lee whipped round and just managed to catch her.
    The shock of the fall left Chrissie feeling wobbly and she clung to him to steady herself for a second, while the trembling in her legs stopped and her heart rate returned to something like normal as the jolt of adrenalin left her system. She looked up into his face, inches from her own.
    â€˜Thank you, Lee,’ she panted.
    â€˜No worries, lass,’ he replied, looking into her eyes. ‘You gave us a bit of a shock, there.’
    Chrissie felt her heart do an odd little